Rapper Fat Joe ignited a wave of online speculation following his appearance on the December 2025 episode of the Joe and Jada Unfiltered podcast, where he recounted an alarming encounter allegedly involving the Taliban in Lebanon.
During the widely circulated interview, Fat Joe described a situation in which individuals he identified as “the Taliban” approached him after a performance in Lebanon with an unusual invitation.
According to the rapper’s account, the group greeted him warmly, telling him, “The Taliban, they love you. They wait,” before allegedly inviting him to “shoot rockets” with them. Fat Joe claims the encounter prompted an immediate flight response, stating he “ran so fast to that airport” and “stood in the airport overnight shook to death” while waiting to leave the country.
The story quickly gained traction across social media platforms, with numerous YouTube channels creating short-form video excerpts that summarized and captioned the anecdote. These derivative clips further amplified the unverified claim, generating substantial commentary from podcast hosts and social media users regarding both the credibility of the account and the safety implications of international travel.
Despite the viral nature of Fat Joe’s story, no mainstream news outlets have independently verified the incident as of the podcast’s release. Searches reveal an absence of contemporaneous reporting from Lebanese media, statements from local authorities, or any photographic evidence that might corroborate the rapper’s claims.
The geographical confusion in Fat Joe’s account has drawn particular scrutiny, as he specifically identified his alleged harassers as “the Taliban,” a group primarily associated with Afghanistan and Pakistan, not Lebanon. Upon returning to his hotel, Fat Joe encountered three men waiting for him in what he described as a synchronized manner.
The rapper consistently used this label throughout his retelling rather than identifying any specific Lebanese organizations or political factions.
Music industry experts note that international performances like these can be significant revenue streams for artists, though they sometimes come with unforeseen complications.
Many artists utilize streaming platforms to build international fanbases before embarking on potentially lucrative but complicated overseas tours.
He described the urgent departure to the airport at 1:00 AM despite having a flight scheduled for 10:00 AM later that morning, highlighting his extreme anxiety about the situation.
The account currently stands as an unverified personal anecdote, with no independent sources confirming the details of the alleged encounter.
Fat Joe has not provided additional context or evidence to support his claims since the podcast aired.
